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Two runners at Foster Rec Center

Focus on improving health, not losing weight

Incremental, progress goals are key to success.

July 20, 2021 by Strategic Communication

Step by step: it’s a good mantra. It can help you make it through the day to day routine or refocus you on small goals when the challenges seem insurmountable.  

Dr. Sara Powell, assistant professor of kinesiology at Missouri State University, works on goal setting, motivation and the psychology of physical activity.

She has particularly focused on behavior change for individuals who’ve undergone bariatric surgery. 

The weight loss journey is tough, but the psychological hurdles are equally immense. 

  1. What makes weight loss so hard


Powell encourages people to set goals not related to weight loss – goals that instead focus on health improvements. She uses the SMARTER acronym for these goals: specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, timely goals that you can evaluate and revise.  

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Filed Under: Discovery, Faculty and Staff Page Tagged With: faculty, Kinesiology, McQueary College of Health and Human Services, research, Sara Powell

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